Accommodation Fees Research Articles

Optimizing the inspection schedule for bridge networks

Optimizing the inspection route for a bridge network is a paramount factor in reducing inspection duration and cost, particularly for bridges located in a large geographical area. In this respect, this study presents a bridge network inspection planning model. The model aims to minimize the total inspection cost by reducing traveling distance, accommodation cost, wasted time, and inspection crew cost. The model was developed based on the main concept of the multiple traveling salesman problem. In this model, a discrete event simulation engine was built to estimate the inspection duration for each bridge in the network, whereas the genetic algorithm approach was used to optimize the inspection route. Python was used in coding the model steps. Web scraping technique was utilized to develop a geospatial information algorithm dedicated to extracting the actual driving distance between any two points in the inspection route. To tackle the limitations of previous models, the developed model considered several parameters, such as bridge inspection durations that are either shorter or longer than a day shift, variations in the accommodation fees, actual driving distance, minimum workload to assign a new inspection crew, and minimum time to allow starting inspection activities in a new bridge. Considering these parameters make the developed model comprehensive and more accurate. The model was tested against a real bridge network in the IL, USA, and it proved its effectiveness in optimizing the inspection route. The model provides strong guidance for consultants and authorities in charge of bridges in planning the upcoming inspection activities.

Enhancing student experience: A vision for the DMI university student app

The DMI University Student App will be a mobile-based software application designed to run on Android mobile phones. It will be used by potential students and students of DMI-St. John the Baptist University, as it will provide complete details of colleges, such as tuition and accommodation fees, eligibility criteria, campus placement opportunities, accommodation facilities, scholarship schemes, campus support services, rules, and regulations, etc. It will help students select various courses in engineering, social work, computer science, and business administration at DMI-St. John the Baptist University based on factors like qualifying exam details, technical expertise, and other details. The application will prepare the course list, which will be filtered based on parameters like institution ranking, department or field, fee limits, and chosen location. This application will help students find the most appropriate course in the field of their interest that corresponds to their location.

SIMULASI BANTUAN ZAKAT OLEH PENOLONG AMIL INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI DI SELANGOR SIMULATION OF ZAKAT ASSISTANCE BY AMIL ASSISTANTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN SELANGOR

The appointment of higher education institutions (IPT) as amil assistants of the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) has been implemented since 1998. This appointment allows IPTs to collect zakat from payers and distribute it to their university staff, especially students. Eligible students will receive zakat assistance to cover part of their study costs. Accordingly, this study tries to simulate zakat assistance by IPT to students in detail. In this study, documentation method was used to collect study data. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) were selected as the study sample. The simulation was developed using PTPTN loan rate data which is the main source of financing for student education in Malaysia. This study uses the tuition and accommodation fee structure from the official websites of UKM and UPM. As for zakat assistance, the study refers to the assistance scheme displayed through the IPT's official zakat website and from the findings of interviews with IPT zakat representatives. Then, the data were analyzed using descriptive analysis method. The results of the study show that the simulation of zakat assistance increases students’ finances in covering the cost of education and living expenses incurred by students but still does not reach the minimum amount of expenditure required by students' needs. From this simulation, zakat institutions and IPTs should review the rate of educational zakat assistance to students' needs in order to achieve the minimum expenditure required throughout the study.

Academic Conferencing Reimagined in the COVID-19 Era: The Vision Health Research Network Experience

The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has reshaped academic conferencing and the experience for many research students and trainees. Scientific associations have adapted to new public health restrictions by adopting virtual conferences to maintain the dissemination of knowledge. The Vision Health Research Network (VHRN) has brought its annual meeting online in 2021. The virtual conference format reduces its associated carbon footprint and encourages increased participation by eliminating barriers to access such as transportation, accommodation fees and scheduling conflicts. The annual meeting has been divided into several smaller themed days to increase participation throughout the year. The use of novel online platforms for information sharing such as FOURWAVES and Zoom has enabled an ease of interaction but has brought unique challenges as well. The technical learning curve and functionality of these programs may initially impact accessibility. Leveraging deliberate usage of social media to promote conference events and highlighting projects are also avenues to be further explored.

Elective freezing of embryos versus fresh embryo transfer in IVF: a multicentre randomized controlled trial in the UK (E-Freeze).

Elective freezing of embryos versus fresh embryo transfer in IVF: a multicentre randomized controlled trial in the UK (E-Freeze).

Zhodnocení dopadů elektronické evidence tržeb na trh s ubytovacími službami v České republice

This paper evaluates electronic records of sales. We specifically focused on entrepreneurial entities in the accommodation services sector since these were included in the first stage of mandatory record keeping in the Czech Republic (from 1 December 2016 onwards). Our particular aim was to see how introducing the electronic records of sales system affected the number of collective accommodation establishments; the average accommodation fee; the total amount of sales; and the amount of tax revenue. Based on the results, we can conclude that the assumption of opponents of the electronic records of sales system that there would be a decline in entrepreneurial entities has been confirmed to some extent. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of accommodation establishments decreased by 161, but already in 2018 there was an increase of 419. The electronic records of sales system had a positive effect on the growth of the average accommodation fee. According to our calculations, this is a year-on-year increase of 30.01 CZK per night. At the same time, the number of registered guests increased by about 10% in all regions of the Czech Republic; sales in the administrative regions also increased by 8–16%. Positive effects can also be observed on the revenue side of the state budget. Not only did the number of value-added tax returns and the number of newly registered VAT payers increase, but the collection of corporate income tax also increased year-on-year. Based on the evaluation of these indicators under monitoring, it can be concluded that the electronic records of sales system is an effective tool that could have brought about a change in the situation of the accommodation services market.

Economic burden for retinoblastoma patients in China

Background Although retinoblastoma (Rb) is considered to have a good prognosis, economical stress is still a huge problem for patients’ families. Besides, doctors, the government, and social foundation staff do not precisely know how much is truly required for complete Rb therapy, especially the non-medical costs and indirect costs. This study was conducted to estimate the economic burden of Rb patients. Methods This was a retrospective study. Fifty Rb patients were finally enrolled in the study. The questionnaire survey was conducted with surviving Rb patient’ main family caregivers to collect the information on costs during illness through the phone. Costs included direct and indirect cost; direct costs included medical and non-medical costs. Medical costs include drug costs, surgery costs, treatment fees, lab tests, non-lab tests costs, and medical consumptive stuff costs (including hospital expenses and outpatient fees). Results The total direct cost was $27,814.62 ± 15,137.73, and the average medical cost was $15,034.48 ± 8,224.19 ($3,963.99–36,826.53). The total non-medical expenses averaged $12,252.93 ± 9,872.64 ($728.86–48,104.95). The average reduced working time was 11.50 ± 8.06 months, and the average lost income was $13,512.23 ± 11,545.83. Among the non-medical expenses, the average non-medical expenses for children in Beijing and surrounding areas was $6,557.68 ± 6,385.42, and the average non-medical expenses for children in other provinces and was $14,502.29 ± 10,484.86, t-test p-value = 0.011. The average transportation cost for children in Beijing and surrounding areas (Hebei, Tianjin) was $1,871.09 ± 1,428.91, other provinces was $4,909.62 ± 3,697.02. Of children in Beijing and surrounding areas the average accommodation fee was $2,788.42 ± 3,065.00, in other provinces it was $6,599.27 ± 3,065.00. Conclusion Children with Rb have a heavy economic burden. Direct non-medical expenses are higher. Getting medical treatment nearby can help reduce the economic burden of the disease. Besides, work-related issues are also a major financial problem for families with Rb, and the government should properly provide economic subsidies. Simplifying the national health insurance process and purchasing commercial supplementary medical insurance will increase the family's ability to afford the cost of cancer treatment.

Cohabitation Among University Students in Oyo State, South West Nigeria; Causes and Consequences: Implications for Counselling

The investigator embarked on the research to find out the causes and consequences of cohabitation among university students in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria. In order to carry out the investigation, the researcher formulated two research questions and one hypothesis to guide the investigation. The researcher constructed an instrument known as “Cohabitation Among University Students, Causes and Consequences Questionnaire” (CAUSCCQ) to collect information from the respondents. The investigator carried out a reliability test of the instrument using the test re-test method. A reliability coefficient of 0.85 was obtained showing that the instrument was reliable to carry out the research. The items of the instrument had face and content validity as well as language appropriateness. The researcher used 3 research assistants to administer 271 copies of the instrument on the respondents. The research assistants retrieved 245 copies of the questionnaire. The researcher scored, collated and made use of the mean and standard deviation to answer the two research questions while one-way Analysis Of Variance ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis. The investigation revealed in Table 1 that some students cohabit because of high on-campus accommodation fee, with mean score of 2.79, some others cohabit due to financial difficulties in order to save on rent, food and other expenses and also as a result of their freedom from parental control and supervision. The research found out in Table 2 that one of the consequences of cohabitation is unwanted pregnancy with mean score of 3.52. The investigation also revealed in Table 2 that unwanted pregnancy may result into abortion with mean score of 3.49. Finally, the research found out that there is no significant difference among Federal, State and Private university student cohabiters in their assessment of the consequences of cohabitation. It is therefore recommended that Federal, State and Private owners of universities should put up adequate number of halls of residence for students.

Růst turistické atraktivity obcí v Beskydech: Případová studie horské obce Bílá, Česko

The article assesses the changes in the tourist attractiveness of a mountain village in the border area of the Beskydy Mountains in relation to the development of tourism. The objective is to identify the impacts of tourism in the region of interest based on analyses of tourist infrastructure, innovations of the holiday resort portfolios, and development of new services in the municipality of Bílá, where a series of development projectsfocusing on tourism has been implemented in the past few years. The methods of questionnaire surveys and interviews with municipality representatives and other key local stakeholders were used to assess the social and economic contributions of tourism and other effects of the increased number of resort visitors for the municipality. The substantial investments into tourism infrastructure innovations have brought a lot of positive effects to the municipality. Some of the key effects include significant increase in job opportunities, positive demographic changes etc. The character of the municipality, which used to be peripheral with migration loss of population, has changed in the last decade as a result of the triple increase in the number of visitors and tourism intensity. The number of jobs in Bílá has increased, particularly in various fields of services related to tourism, which led to increase in commuting to Bílá. Tourism has increased revenues to the municipal budget by eighty times in the last two decades, coming from the fees for recreational stays and accommodation fees, as well as from the lease of real estate. The municipality has substantially changed its image in relation to the dynamic development of tourism and investments into sports and leisure infrastructure, as well as to the development of various events and other activities. Also, Bílá is becoming attractive in relation to business opportunities and is one of the unique mountain villages with a significant potential for development within the peripheral border regions of the Czech Republic.

Remote programming: A convenient and cost-effective measure of vagus nerve stimulation for children with epilepsy

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, adverse events and expense burden of outpatient versus remote programming for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in children with epilepsy. A total of 46 children with drug-resistant epilepsy, who underwent VNS at the Pediatric Epilepsy Center, Peking University First Hospital between March 2017 and June 2018, were enrolled into the study. Participants were assigned (non-randomized) into an outpatient programming group or remote programming group (where VNS parameters were adjusted through the internet) by parental choice. The responder rate, expenditure for VNS programming and adverse events were compared between the two groups.The median age at VNS implantation was 5.17 years (3.83–6.71), with the median epileptic course being 3.79 years (2.65–4.90). Twenty-four patients were assigned to the outpatient programming group and 22 were assigned to the remote programming group. Baseline data were comparable between the two groups, with the exception of the remote group having a longer distance between their place of residence and the hospital. The median time from VNS implantation to last follow-up was 1.33 years (1.25–1.75) and 1.46 years (1.17–1.58) in the outpatient and remote groups, respectively. In the outpatient programming group, 15 patients (62.5 %,) were VNS responders and four patients (16.6 %) became seizure-free. In the remote programming group, 16 patients (72.7 %) were VNS responders and four (17.4 %) became seizure-free. Cough and hoarseness were common adverse events in both the outpatient and remote groups (33.3 % vs. 18.2 %). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of adverse events. The median cost of each follow-up visit per patient in the outpatient group was 192.4 US dollars ($120.0–$376.5), of which travelling expenses were the major component, followed by accommodation fees, outpatient service fees and indirect costs. Whereas, patients in the remote programming group only needed to pay for the remote programming expense, which totaled 75.8 US dollars per person each time. The efficacy and adverse events were both comparable between the outpatient and remote programming patients. Remote programming was found to be a more cost-effective treatment, especially for patients living further away from centers specializing in epilepsy.

Study on effect of clinical pathway implementation in advanced schistosomiasis with ascites

To evaluate the effect of clinical pathway (CP) on the implementation of advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites. Totally 1 129 cases of advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites but without other complications were selected randomly from the Performance Evaluation and Management System for Medical Treatment of Advanced Schistosomiasis Patients in Hubei Province from year 2011 to 2013. Among the patients, 754 cases were treated by CP (CP group), and 375 cases were treated with traditional methods (NCP group), and the hospitalization days, hospitalization expenses, medicine proportions, treatment outcomes and degrees of satisfaction and health knowledge rates of the two groups were compared. Meanwhile, the variation of CP was calculated. The average length of hospital days of the CP group and NCP group were (13.85 ± 5.60) d and (17.92 ± 5.80) d, respectively, and the average hospitalization costs of the two groups were (4 699.14 ± 1 520.59) Yuan and (5 692.01 ± 1 616.66) Yuan, respectively, both the differences were statistically significant (both P ＜ 0.05). Also the hospitalization cost structures of the two groups were remarkably different, the composition ratios of the inspection fee and accommodation fee in the CP group were lower than those in the NCP group, but the constituent ratios of the examination fee, diagnosis and treatment fee, drug charges and other expenses were higher than those in the NCP group (all P < 0.05). The awareness rate of health knowledge in the CP group was higher than that in the NCP group (P < 0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences in the treatment outcome and the degree of satisfaction between the two groups (both P > 0.05). The variation rate of CP was 9.02% (68/754). The implementation of CP can decrease the days of hospital stay and medical expenses, improve the awareness rate on health knowledge of the patients. The CP treatment with low variation rate is applicable to advanced schistosomiasis patients with ascites but without complications.

Students’ Housing in Private Universities in Nigeria: Influencing Factors and Effect on Academic Performance

Student housing plays an essential role in the attainment of quality education. However, there has been significant evidence as regards the inadequacy of this essential facility among public universities in Nigeria. It was further observed that there is a paucity of information as regards this situation within the private institutions in the country. Based on this background this research was conducted to assess the students’ housing in private institutions, by determining the factors influencing students’ choice of residence and its effect on their academic performance. The study adopted a survey approach, with 216 students sampled through a structured questionnaire. Data gathered were analyzed using frequency, mean item score, and Mann-Whitney U-Test. Results revealed that although gender has no relationship with students’ choice of residence, age and academic level does. The major factors influencing students’ choice of residence are: accommodation fee, quality of the environment, need for privacy, influence of friends/desire to be close to friends, and number of students within the building. The study also revealed that students’ on-campus rarely miss classes due to distance of their residence from their lecture halls, unlike their mates staying off-campus. However, they tend to miss classes as a result of inadequacy of needed facilities; a situation that is uncommon among those staying off-campus. As regards students Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) as a measure of their performance, the residence of students does not have any statistical relationship with their academic grades.

Students’ Accommodation and Academic Performance: The Case of Ho Technical University, Ghana

This study investigated the critical factors that influenced students’ choice of residential accommodation facilities as well as the effect of accommodation type on academic performance in Ho Technical University, Ghana. Data for the study was collected through a questionnaire survey from purposively selected 200 respondents. The IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the critical factors that influenced students’ choice of residential accommodation facilities and Chi-Square Test was used to address the research hypothesis. The study revealed that proximity to lecture halls, spacious and well ventilated rooms; calm and peaceful environment, availability of study area, accommodation fee, and availability of electricity and water were the critical factors that influenced the students’ choice of residential accommodation. The chi-square test revealed that there was no significant effect of accommodation type on the academic performance of students.

IPA분석을 이용한 수상레저스포츠시설 서비스품질 평가

The purpose of this study was to examine service quality of water leisure sports facility by using IPA in order to provide its improvements and suggestions. For this study, uesrs in their over twenties from 8 water leisure sports facilities were chosen as the sample through convenience sampling method, and 328(93.7%) questionnaires were used for the data analysis.BR The questionnaire was organized by referring to the study fromC hoi(2007) and Lim & Lee(2010). Cronbach’s alpha was 789-.592, and reliability was verified through factor analysis.BR The data was analyzed by using SPSS 18.0, and frequence analysis, factor analysis, and IPA(Importance Performance Analysis) were conducted. The results of this study were as follows;BR The first quadrant have 6 factors of service quality - conveninece, complementary facilities, accommodations, equipment rental fee, latest facilities, using time.BR The second quadrant showed 4 factors - differences, resting place, safety, professionalism & capacity.BR The third quadrant also showed 4 factors - guiding attitude, diversity, rate, equipment & supplies.BR The fourth quadrant showed 3 factors - accommodation fee, amenity, cleanliness.

Relative Importance of Student Accommodation Quality in Higher Education

This study, which was part of a large study, empirically examinesthe importance students attach to different dimensions of Student Accommodation Quality (SAQ) delivered by Student Accommodation Providers (SAP) in two tertiary (higher education) institutions in Ghana. The study involved a cross-sectional survey that used a structured questionnaire administered to 700 tertiary students in residential and non-residential accommodation. The survey yielded a usable 66.6% response rate for analysis. The findings indicate that utility facility quality is the most important SAQ dimension to the students, followed by the overall impression of hostel, security, physical environment, toilet, distance to lecture, bedroom, bath room, accommodation fee, among others. Moreover, it was found that kitchen facility, access to transport and entertainment facility are less important SAQ items while the least important is garage facility. Few differences were found in the priority for SAQ items between COLTEK and K-Poly respondents and between residential and non-residential respondents. Implications for theory and recommendations to management of the two higher education institutions and SAP have been discussed. The study contributes to the body of knowledge in student affairs and managing student accommodation quality in higher education.

Footprints of an Earthquake:Experiences of Firat University Students’ from Van

This paper has a two-fold importance by focusing on specific affected groups (university students) of a natural calamity, yet based in Elazig city which is 475km distant to the epicentre of the disaster. Disasters and their possible affects have been recognized with different aspects. Previously, the main focus was on the epicentre of such disasters. However, recent appearances of mass disasters are bringing that into light the necessity of recognition of the equality of the strength of its effects on its core and further afield. There are arguments that can be opened and applied from these long distance social effects. Most ongoing discussions have focused on heavily populated, disaster vulnerable locations such as Istanbul. I have tried to indicate the equal importance of the vulnerability of small settlements and their social conditions and the necessity of analyzing solutions in pilot locations for their forthcoming burdens of future disasters. The point goes beyond the earliest questions such as whose disaster is it? Van has exemplified this point once again with this unwanted experience. Due to these earliest approaches, the definition of affected people has been limited with the appraisal of those near to the epicentre. However, a university student group who live in another location because of their education can also be equally affected through their relatives’ experiences. The case of Firat University is an important example. In terms of time variability, the disaster occurred just before exam week while students were in need of heavy concentration for their studies and attendances to their lectures and studies pre-exam period. Recognised methodological difficulties to conduct social studies immediately following a disasters inevitably focussed the study to those people affected in our vicinity. In our case, this group was our students. The study instantly evolved around the accumulated knowledge on disasters and the urgent necessities of these students by listening to and identifying their experiences. These were done with the attempt of seeking possible solutions to urgent situations of the students. Within the frame of above mentioned reasons, a field study derived its preliminary findings related to students’ experiences from a combination of three phases: A focused group study between the participants through the meeting of affected students (over 75 individuals), following in depth interviews and then a survey questionnaire which will be carried on for a further year by registering university students from Van in the 2011-2012 academic year at the Firat University, Elazig. The study reveals the experiences and possible solutions in the processes. Discussions of the findings have been carried on the basis of local, national and international level of comparisons and experiences.Findings revealed that students from Van have footprints of the quake in their lives, through the experiences of their relatives and their reflections on their student lives. They require recognition due to the adverse effects on their concentration, attendances to courses, sleeplessness, their sense of guilt, need of scholarship, accommodation or accommodation fees, etc. Most of them required socio-psychological guidance and counselling. There are local facilities for these social needs but there are urgent needs in terms of processes such as collaboration, organization and activation of these support structures.

Younger people with dementia: time for fair play

The recent diagnosis of Terry Pratchett with Alzheimer’s disease has once again thrown the spotlight on the fate and lives of younger people with dementia living in the United Kingdom (UK). Far too often the needs and experiences of younger people with dementia, i.e. those aged under the age of 65 years, are overlooked even though the group total around 15 000 people in the UK (Alzheimer’s Society, 2007), and are in need of specialist service provision, as recommended by current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines, Dementia: Supporting People With Dementia and Their Carers in Health and Social Care(NICE, 2006). This specialist service provision is all the more pressing as younger people with dementia are likely to be living through discrete and enduring mid-life challenges, such as mortgage repayments, meeting children’s university and accommodation fees, caring for parents and career pressures; such pressures ripple through the entire family unit and disruption is felt by all.

The Guest Labor System in Taiwan

Since the late 1980s, Taiwan's manufacturing and construction employers have pressured the state to increase substantially guest worker intakes in order to reduce labor shortages, to expand the supply of cheap accessible labor, and to weaken upward pressures on wage costs. This article describes the origins and development of the guest labor system and analyzes the effects it has had on Taiwan's economy and on workers both guest and local. The author analyzes the economic dimensions of migrant labor in the context of state efforts to promote employers' interests within a framework of class compromises and examines the response of Tai-wan's labor unions to the growing availability of cheaper foreign labor. Opposition to the mandatory food and accommodation fees imposed on guest workers led the state to encourage employers to recruit guest workers directly from the countries of origin in order to eliminate brokers' fees, the greatest source of migrant hardship. The author shows, however, that direct hiring has failed due to kickback arrangements involving employers, brokers, and state officials. This has brought the class basis of Taiwan's guest worker policy into sharp focus and engendered an intense struggle by guest workers.